They say grow old
gracefully, yet grace
evades its unfolding.
Bitterness begets
bitterness, a kudzu
to strangle the heart.
Each gesture creates
a repetition, a reassertion;
each thought a cliché
to clang shut like jail cells
marred with broken claws
as truth bows to power.
Tell me where I can find
dutiful dreams, ecstatic letters,
someone who will let me
untangle my knots and strings,
rather than leave me broken,
a marionette’s inert limbs
bent double in a simple lie,
like an old man crumpled
in a corner of the room.
(February 20, 2016)
subtext 